


Autumn Days

by TheZeroMoment



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, ITF Halloween Exchange, Multi, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Risen, Risen are v gay and v fluffy, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 03:49:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5114789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheZeroMoment/pseuds/TheZeroMoment
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick, Simon, and Kieren play paintball in the woods on the outskirts of Roarton on a Day Trip. <br/>Fluff and falling in leaf piles ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Autumn Days

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for caesarsbuddy on tumblr for the ITF Halloween Gift Exchange!!
> 
> Thanks to worsethanazombie ( Beth ) for organising all of this, you're fab!!
> 
> Enjoy.

Rick crept along slowly, feet eerily silent along the dry leaves - a trick he’d picked up during his tours in Afghanistan. He honestly missed having a gun in his hands. Not like that! He missed the tension, the precision, the calculating accuracy on how to stand and hold to maintain perfect aim. He never wanted to hurt anyone, not really.

 

Which is why the gun was full of paint.

 

They, Kieren, Simon, and himself, were in the woods just surrounding Roarton, playing paintball, because well Kieren wanted to, and Simon would do anything Kieren wanted, and Rick would do anything to keep both of them smiling.

Simon, though, had pulled him aside and quietly said in his ear that if anything made him feel weird he could call it off immediately. Really, that man worried too much. It was incredibly sweet though.

 

He liked Simon a lot. He liked his accent and his soft touches and his tendencies to think every possible solution through and how he was teaching Rick to play guitar and how he would read them both poetry at night if anyone woke up with nightmares. He was also very damaged, and scarily often had these meltdown things that he once described as “everything being too loud and bright and out of control and it’s like the world is ending and no one cares”. The first time he’d witnessed it Kieren had frantically shook his head at him and mimed to be quiet, doing nothing but wrapping a thick duvet around Simon as he ran his hands through his hair and rocked back and forth in the corner of the room. He was so scared, it was like Kieren’s panic attacks but worse because he’d had no experience with it, but Si had explained it rationally to him afterwards and if Rick could do anything, he could hug someone tight and quiet and let Simon regain his ability to think about the world in a way that made sense.

 

Kieren was… different. More like when they were kids than that awful few weeks nearly two years ago, which had ended with himself dead again.

Kieren was warier with him, and panicked whenever either he or Si didn’t pick up the phone or was late home, he still got stuck with days where he wouldn’t move from bed, so they took turns lying with him, or days where he didn’t speak at all. Other days, he was exactly how it’d been before, but more, and better. Kieren laughed louder and smiled wider and kissed him with such tenderness and adoration, spilling the affection from all their years that overwhelmed him briefly and left him dumbstruck. He demanded piggybacks and created drawings and paintings that were hung everywhere and anywhere in Simon’s bungalow.

 

And days like today, which were an odd sort of bittersweet, when he planned ‘Day Trips’. Simon would get quiet and smile sadly for a bit, before going along with the plan, and Kieren would act determinedly to make everything as happy and action packed as possible. Rick didn’t fully understand the tradition, but knew it had something to do with Amy - Simon and Kieren’s friend they knew when he wasn’t around. She was undead, and she died, but she didn’t rise again in the second rising. He sometimes heard Simon praying for her, saying thank you.

 

Yes, everything had changed: Rick was besotted, and very much in love with his two boyfriends. He would do anything to keep them happy, which had actually proved to be more difficult than originally thought in their six month relationship so far, what with them all still being antagonised in Roarton despite everything, and all of them still suffering a lot with their own personal, deep set issues that Rick personally refused to admit he had.

 

It was approaching the end of summer, but autumn had come early and leaves were already covering the damp dirt ground. Rick didn’t care much, it’s not like any of them could particularly feel the cold. They were all dead after all. It’s not even like they would be hurt by the paintball, which in hindsight was probably a good thing.

 

He crouched and moved slowly along the top of the banking, concealing himself in the hedges that had grown alongside a few clustered trees, when he spotted him - a shock of ruffled ginger hair, wearing the dark red plaid shirt he stole from Rick himself and pale hands clutching an ugly black paintball gun. He was leaning against a tree, obviously trying to conceal himself. Rick nearly laughed aloud at Kieren.

 

He stalked Kieren like one would stalk a deer, creeping slowly through the bushes, watching Kieren looking around from behind where he was. His finger twitched on the trigger and he smiled.

 

Got him.

 

Apart from he hadn’t. Why was he holding a gun? Why was he holding a gun up to Ren, his Ren? What had become of him, his dad would be proud, but it was Ren.

 

“That Walker lad needs to go. An’ you have to do it.”

 

Rick threw down the gun without thinking about it, disgusted at himself. He wasn’t gonna hurt Ren. He could never hurt his Ren.

 

“You’ve failed me.”

 

Rick brought his hands up to press tightly over his ears in attempt to block out his father’s gruff voice.

 

“Rick?” He vaguely heard the dry leaves crunching under Ren’s feet as he approached him hiding in the bushes, gun dropped quickly to the side with his hands held, palms up, in front of him. “Rick? Are you okay?” Ren probably heard him drop his own gun; he’d know Rick was going to hurt him, Ren would never forgive him. Simon wouldn’t forgive him either. He’d have no one…

 

He felt his breathing picking up, along with the rate of his blinking as the world shook around him.

 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, Rick, it’s alright,”

 

Kieren’s skinny arms wrapped around his waist securely, moving close to him so Rick could only see Kieren’s pretty face, whole and still alive.

 

“Wasn’t gonna hurt you Ren, promise.” He said gruffly, his hands dropping from his own head to rest around Kieren’s frail shoulders, pulling him in for a tight hug.

 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have suggested something with guns, especially here.”

 

“S’alright.”

 

They stood there, seconds dragging into minutes, just holding each other tightly as the wind got harsher and more orange leaves rained down on them. It would be turning dark soon; the weather was already turning worse in preparation for a winter night.

 

“Rick? Kieren?” Simon’s steady footsteps approached them from behind Rick’s back. “You two alright?”

 

Rick pulled away from Kieren and rubbed at his eyes tiredly.   
“Yeah, m’fine, just stupid stuff,”

 

“Okay.” Simon stepped forward and held his hand loosely, a small comfort Rick appreciated a lot. Simon always knew when not to push.

 

All of a sudden, Kieren was stumbling backwards and landed in the leaves that had previously been floating scenically from the trees, the force of the fall sending the leaves flying everywhere, including in Kieren’s hair.

 

“What the fuck, Si?” He scowled up at the older man, who shrugged, his parka slipping from his shoulders slightly.

  
“That’s for suggesting paintball.”

 

“I’ll give you suggesting paintball,” Kieren mumbled while getting back up before fully tackling Simon to the ground, leaving Rick to burst out laughing at their antics; grabbing at his stomach and attempting to control himself while his two boyfriends flicked leaves at each other and wrestled on the ground, ending with Kieren sitting proudly in Simon’s lap, who leant back on his palms in admitted defeat.

 

“He’s laughing at us, Kier,” Simon grinned lazily.

 

“Oh I know,” Kieren said in a sing song voice before reaching out and yanking Rick down into the leaves with them. “Sorry babe.”

 

“No you’re not.” Rick grinned and ruffled Kieren’s hair, letting the younger boy know there was no hard feelings as he positioned his legs comfortably to sit next to Simon. He was already feeling miles better just by being around his boyfriends, messing around and having fun. Sure, everything had changed, but for the better.

 

Simon reached over and kissed him sweetly as Kieren loudly “Aw’ed,” at them. Rick rolled his eyes and poked Kieren in the belly, grinning.

He loved them both, and he knew they’d always be there for him to drag him out of painful memories or not.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at amyspetticoat c:


End file.
